11.11.2014 - Companies must submit their reports on construction for September by November 5

Companies must submit their reports on construction for September by November 5

Tax Administration Bulletin, 11/3/2014

Companies must give their details for September on contracts, and on the employees who work at construction sites, to the Tax Administration by November 5.

The information-reporting requirement concerns all parties who are buyers or customers, including housing companies and real estate companies.

Companies must give details on their contracts if the value goes over the 15,000-euro threshold. All customers must give details on the contracts they have bought.

In addition, details on the employees must be submitted for all construction sites where there are more than one companies being active, if the aggregate value of the contracts made with the site customer goes over the 15,000-euro threshold. The main implementer i.e. project supervisor of the construction site is responsible for the reporting. Other employers at the site, and any self-employed construction professionals who work there, must give details on their employees to the main implementer.

Reports are e-filed

You can submit the information electronically either in the suomi.fi service using a fillable web form

or via the Ilmoitin.fi service using a file transfer or a software interface.

The new Act governing the reporting requirement is for combatting the underground economy and for improving the fairness of business competition in the construction sector. Companies that fail to submit the reports may face a penalty charge amounting to €15,000. However, during the first months when the requirement is in force, the Tax Administration prefers to begin by guiding construction clients to fulfil their reporting obligations correctly and takes a moderate stand on penalty fees.

Everyone working on construction sites in Finland must carry a name tag with their individual Tax Number printed on it.

This obligation will come into force as follows:

New construction sites 1 September 2012

Old construction sites 1 March 2013.

The payroll office of your employer company may require your Tax Number before the legal obligation comes into force.

Individual Tax Numbers have already been delivered to everyone who was registered as a taxpayer and received a Finnish tax card (a document showing the percentage of tax withholding) for 2012. However, if you are a foreign construction worker arriving in Finland for a temporary job, you can obtain a Finnish personal identity number and your Tax Number from the following tax offices starting 1 June 2012:

This card information and more is needed to deliver via interner montly from 1.7.2014

07.03.2013 - New Web Site Työmaakortti-HETI

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22.08.2012 - Russia to become WTO's 156th member

(Reuters) - Russia formally notified the World Trade Organization on Monday that it had ratified its membership agreement, meaning it will become the 156th member of the trade rules club on Aug 22.

The $1.9 trillion Russian economy, the world's ninth largest, was the biggest still outside the WTO.

Countries joining the body have to agree terms with all existing members and bring their laws into line with WTO rules. Once they have received the green light for membership, they must ratify their membership deal.

They have to notify the WTO that they have done so and membership follows automatically 30 days later.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed his country's accession to the WTO into law on Saturday and a Russian diplomat handed the papers to an official at the WTO in Geneva at 2.45 pm (1245 GMT) on Monday, completing an 18-year campaign to join the club.

Other countries that are not WTO members include Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Belarus, Algeria, Bosnia, Serbia, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhsta

11.07.2012 - Russian Duma approves controversial WTO entry

Russian Duma approves controversial WTO entry

The Russian parliament has ratified the country's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) after 18 years of accession negotiations. But opposition parties fear that Russia cannot compete in a global market.

Carried only by MPs of the ruling United Russia party, Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, on Tuesday ratified accession to the WTO by 238 votes to 208. It will come into law 30 days after being signed by President Vladimir Putin, ending an 18-year period of international negotiations.

Under the deal reached last December with members of the WTO, Moscow will be required to cut import tariffs and open up key sectors of its economy to foreign investment.Russian parliament ratifies accession to WTO

Russia's $1.9 trillion economy - the world's ninth largest - will become the WTO's 156th member.

Opposition fears for economy

The move is controversial in Russia, where many fear that Russian companies may not be able to compete once its markets are open to all.

Members of the opposition staged a small protest outside the Duma on Tuesday. "We will be dragged along in the last wagon of a convoy that will be ruled over by multinational companies," said Vladimir Zhirinovksy, leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party.

His comments reflect widespread public fears that Russian industry cannot compete on open world markets.

Even within the ruling party, reservations remain. United Russia's Alexei Pushkov, the parliament's foreign affairs committee chief, tweeted after the vote that "joining the WTO is like jumping into an ice hole," referring to the popular Russian winter pastime of swimming in frozen waters.

Putin, who was re-elected as president in March, had warmed to the idea of WTO membership after the Russian economy was hit hard by the global recession of 2008-09.

Economy Minister Andrei Belousov insisted on Tuesday that the risks outweighed the benefits - that consumers would enjoy greater choice, quality and prices for goods.

German hopes

As one of Russia's most important trade partners Germany hopes Russia's WTO membership will not only reduce import tariffs for German goods, but that it will also encourage Russian industry to modernize.

The German Economy Ministry estimates that German companies doing business with Russia could make an extra one billion euros ($1.22 billion) per year.

07.04.2012 - Gasoline Prices Could Jump 18%

The price for gasoline could jump seven to 18 percent in the near future or fuel shortages could arise, Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov warned, Vedomosti reported Thursday.

Russia needs "unambiguous price adjustments" on oil products that he said are far below international market prices. If prices remain unchanged, it will flush the domestic market, and increased seasonal demand in April and May could leave Russia facing a shortage.

In 2011 oil companies resisted pressure by officials to suppress prices during election season, but now companies are beginning to raise prices and are waiting for the reaction by authorities, Russian Fuel Union president Yevgeny Arkusha told Vedomosti.

Last year Prime Minister Vladimir Putin spoke about the need for low prices, and in late January Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said gas prices would be frozen until March in accordance with an agreement made with oil producers.

"The consumer has to feel reduction in fuel prices in their pockets, and it should be visible at the pump," Putin said.

Prices experienced a net decrease in December and in the first two months of 2012, dropping 0.3 percent, compared to a 0.6 percent rise in November, Rosstat data showed.

Wholesale prices underwent record growth in the first week of March as the election season was winding up, rising by up to 4.9 percent, oil market analysis company Kortes said.

The rise in wholesale prices has just begun to be felt at the pump. Lukoil spokesman Dmitry Dolgov said that last week on average the price of gasoline at their gas stations was up by 25 kopecks per liter.

The total number of mobile telephony subscribers in Russia increased to 227.6 million at the end of December 2011, which translates into 8.4 million customers gained by the operators during the year and an increase in the overall country’s subscribers base by 3.9% on a yearly basis, AC&M Consulting reported. The penetration rate of mobile telephony in the country hit 156.8% which is explained by the use of a second SIM card for mobile internet access, and also by the fact that Russians often have several mobile connections to benefit from the advantages of different tariff plans of the operators. The penetration rate in Moscow and St Petersburg was significantly higher than country’s average and amounted 212.1% and 215.6%, respectively.

At the end of last year, three largest mobile operators in the country, namely MTS, Megafon and Vimplecom, had a combined share of 83% in the market in terms of subscriptions. MTS lead the market in question having almost 70 million subscribers in Russia. Megafon, the third largest mobile operator based on the number of SIM cards and Russian 3G leader, was accountable for 50% of all newly connected users in the country in December 2011.

On an annual basis however, the higher increase in the subscriber base was observed by the Vimpelcom, runner-up in the mobile telephony market in Russia with 57.2 million subscribers in the reviewed period, which expanded its number of customers 10%.

16.12.2011 - A historic moment for Russia at the EU-Russia summit: WTO membership

A historic moment for Russia at the EU-Russia summit: WTO membership

Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to be effective in 2012 brings the total number of WTO members to 157. The EU is also expected to formally conclude its bilateral negotiations with Russia. Russia’s WTO accession makes a new opportunity for talks with the EU officials at the present EU-Russia summit. Russia’s membership in WTO provides new opportunities for Baltic States’ trade.

The 8th WTO Ministerial Conference, taking place from 14-17 December 2011 in Geneva, will endorse the accession of Russia on 16 December. On 16 December, the EU will sign a bilateral deal with Russia, whose accession to the WTO may become a reality in 2012.

The accession of Russia to the WTO is significant from both a multilateral and bilateral perspective. Russia is the biggest economy still outside the WTO, therefore both Russia and its trading partners will benefit from its integration into the global, rules-based system of trade relations.

Russia's accession to the WTO is especially important for the EU, Russia's biggest trading partner. This step will give a major boost to further development of our economic relationship. Russia's membership in the WTO will also prove an important stepping stone for deepening the bilateral economic integration, including through the conclusion of the ongoing negotiation on the New Agreement.

"The EU has strongly supported the accession of Russia to the WTO" said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht."Russia’s WTO membership improves the conditions for doing business with the country and strengthens the multilateral trading system as a whole."

Advantages and figures

The Russia’s accession to the WTO is likely to take place before the end of August 2012, once Russia ratifies the negotiated results. The WTO decision to accept Russia amongst WTO Members concluded the 18-year long negotiations, the longest WTO accession process to date.

Due to WTO accession, the tariff changes alone will lead to additional EU exports to Russia worth nearly €4 billion per year. This amount does not include the import or export duties foregone. Further benefits will result from regulatory reforms and trade facilitation. Upon accession, Russia will introduce a more liberal market for service providers. Thus, benefits will be spread across key merchandise as well as services sectors as well as across the EU member states.

EU-Russia trade

Russia is the EU's third largest trading partner after the US and China with an 8,6% share of EU trade in 2010.

The EU is Russia's biggest trading partner with a 45,8% share of its overall trade in 2010. Total trade with Russia amounted to €244 billion in 2010, compared to €183 billion in 2009. Imports from Russia increased by 31,4% in 2010, and exports from the EU to Russia went up by 38,2%.

The EU is by far the most important investor in Russia. It is estimated that more than 75% of the investment stock comes from the EU.

12.12.2011 - OECD: Economic Survey of the Russian Federation

OECD: Economic Survey of the Russian Federation

The Russian economy is recovering from the severe 2008/9 recession, but has not yet reached pre-crisis peak activity levels. Trend growth of around 4% is not fully exploiting opportunities provided by Russia’s rich endowment of natural resources and the high skill level of its population. This OECD Economic Survey makes recommendations for a well balanced combination of further strengthened macroeconomic policy settings, decisive improvements in the business environment, including determined efforts to reduce corruption and strengthen the rule of law, and increasing energy efficiency. Such a combination could generate synergies which will help to accelerate overall convergence and improve living standards for the Russian population.

In recent years Russian leaders have increasingly emphasised the importance of modernising the economy, stressing the need to reduce the dependence on oil revenues and diversify the economy. The process of accession to the OECD dovetails closely with this agenda. The accession process provides a useful opportunity to take stock of the evolution of convergence, identifying both progress and areas where the gaps are still large and thus where peer review and drawing on OECD experience may be particularly useful.

One area where the gap with OECD countries has remained very wide is the business climate. State involvement in the economy is pervasive, corruption endemic, the rule of law weak, and the foreign trade and investment regimes relatively restrictive. These deficiencies are reflected in low levels of competition, sluggish innovation, low investment and a greater dependence on natural resource extraction than would otherwise be the case. Although on a number of fronts improvements can be discerned, there is a need for further policy action and reinforced implementation efforts in many areas.

Another area where Russia lags the most advanced countries is energy efficiency, and this has been a major factor in poor environmental outcomes and the high carbon-intensity of the economy. The energy-intensiveness of GDP in Russia is among the highest in the world. The main imperative is to ensure that the price of energy reflects marginal social costs, which means removing subsidies and export taxes on energy and introducing mechanisms to price in the negative externalities of fossil fuel use. The installation of meters for all energy use should also be sped up, and measurement of energy consumption improved.

Another area where Russia lags the most advanced countries is energy efficiency, and this has been a major factor in poor environmental outcomes and the high carbon-intensity of the economy. The energy-intensiveness of GDP in Russia is among the highest in the world. The main imperative is to ensure that the price of energy reflects marginal social costs, which means removing subsidies and export taxes on energy and introducing mechanisms to price in the negative externalities of fossil fuel use. The installation of meters for all energy use should also be sped up, and measurement of energy consumption improved.

As regards outcomes in most other areas, Russia is within the range of OECD countries, not an outlier. Labour markets are relatively flexible, although more could be done to bring social protection up to the standards of more advanced countries. The population is well educated, with exceptionally high rates of tertiary enrolment, even if educational performance as measured by PISA scores ranks below most OECD countries.

Moreover, in some respects Russia exhibits relative strengths. For example, it has negative net public debt (that is, public financial assets exceed gross public debt), an attribute shared by very few OECD economies. This reflects prudent policies that saved a large share of the oil price windfalls over the past decade. Also, while Russia remains a relatively high-inflation economy, monetary policy has delivered a gradual decline in inflation over the past 12 years, and the policy framework is being adjusted to the new lower-inflation environment to which the country is moving.

Scope remains for improvements to the macroeconomic policy framework, however. The budget has become increasingly vulnerable to a correction in oil prices, with the non-oil deficit expanding rapidly in 2008 09 and remaining above 10% of GDP in 2010 11. Moreover, fiscal policy has proved to be insufficiently countercyclical. The prompt reinstatement of a fiscal rule limiting the non oil deficit is called for, perhaps supported by binding ceilings on annual expenditure growth, and a rule-based framework could be strengthened by setting up an independent fiscal council to provide advice on technical issues. Concerning monetary policy, as the conditions for successful inflation targeting fall into place, exchange rate flexibility should be further increased, together with a clearer central bank mandate to pursue price stability as the primary objective and increased transparency as regards politicy decisions and economic analysis.

A total of €16.1 billion will be allocated for the future EuropeanNeighbourhood Instrument (ENI), according to a Communica onthe budget for the next ﬁnancial framework 2014-2020,adopted bythe European Commission.The Communication on sets out the broad budgetary orienta ons for the next post-2013 ﬁ nancial framework, together with proposals for the new Mulannual Financial Framework regula on. The packagewith the legisla ve proposals on future EU external ac on instruments will follow as a next step.

The ENI Regula on legislave proposal, including the CBC Main Headlines;

Future steps Editorial ar cle by the JMA Head of Opera onal unit Results of the second Call for Proposals Projects in ac on Launch of third Call for Proposals Coming events provisions is scheduled to be adopted in December 2011.

The future European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) would continue toprovide the bulk of funding to the European Neighbourhood countries,essentially through bilateral, regional and cross border co-operation onprogrammes.

The new instrument would be increasingly policy-driven andprovide for increased diﬀ eren aon, more ﬂexibility, stricter condionality and incenves for best performers, reﬂecng the ambion of each partnership.

13.11.2011 - WTO s Working Party seals the deal on Russia’s membership negotiations

10 November 2011

WTOs Working Party seals the deal on Russia’s membership negotiations

Russia’s accession to the WTO cleared a major hurdle when the WTO Working Party on its accession approved, ad referendum on 10 November 2011, the package spelling out Russia’s terms of entry to the organization. The Working Party will now send its accession recommendation to the 15 —17 December Ministerial Conference, where Ministers are expected to approve the documents and accept Russia as a WTO Member.

BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The European Union and Moscow have agreed terms for Russia to join the World Trade Organisation, leaving a bilateral agreement between Russia and Georgia as the only outstanding issue to resolve, the EU's trade chief said on Friday.

A deal had been reached that would help to prevent EU jobs in the car industry from moving to Russia, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said in a statement. The agreement removes the last major trade area that had been hesitant about allowing Russian WTO membership.

"We have struck a deal on the final outstanding bilateral issues, leaving the way open for Russia to join the WTO by the end of this year," De Gucht said. "This understanding will help to protect EU jobs in the car and car components industry."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow that "all issues had been solved" and hinted that Russia could enter the organisation without Georgia's consent.

"Sticking strictly to the WTO's documents, Georgia's position is not an obstacle. There are ways to act so that our trade obligations towards all the WTO members do not apply to Georgia," Lavrov said.

Though Russia has been negotiating to join the WTO for 18 years, the 1.5 trillion-dollar economy is the largest still remaining outside the league of 153 trading nations.

The case for Russian membership has been pushed by the perceived economic gains, as well as the wish to usher Russia in before elections next March, which are expected to return Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, a WTO-sceptic, to the presidency.

Still, agreement from neighbouring Georgia is required for Russia to join, and Tbilisi is demanding more trade transparency. Switzerland has been acting as a mediator in the past few months, but the EU said it was "disappointing that the talks have so far not led to a solution".

"There is now very little time left to reach a bilateral agreement between Georgia and Russia," De Gucht said. "I call on both parties to continue their efforts to find a solution in a spirit of compromise."

MUTUAL BENEFITS SEEN

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said the United States shared "the EU's strong interest in seeing Russia and Georgia reach a mutually agreeable resolution of trade-related issues" but added that some other trade issues still had to be resolved before Russia could be invited to join.

"These include final agreement on Russia's automotive investment programme, Russia's commitment to join the WTO Information Technology Agreement, and certain issues related to trade in agriculture," Kirk said in a statement.

Russian accession could help the WTO's image, as collapsed hopes for the Doha round of trade talks that began 10 years ago have cast doubt on its credibility.

For the EU, Russian membership would make the country more transparent and open up business opportunities for EU investors and exporters. Russian import tariffs and restrictions on raw materials exports would be reduced, and Moscow would adopt international product standards and WTO rules in areas such as customs procedures, licensing and intellectual property, the EU said.

The EU is Russia's biggest trading partner, with 244 billion euros in bilateral trade in 2010 -- a 45.8 percent share of Russia's overall trade. Imports from Russia increased by 31.4 percent in 2010, and exports from the EU to Russia went up by 38.2 percent.

The car industry had been the major sticking point in negotiations.

Last year, Moscow launched a new industrial policy that offered carmakers operating in Russia incentives only if they produced more than 300,000 cars and 30,000 trucks per year; created a majority of a car's total value locally; and opened research and development centres in Russia.

That stoked fears in some EU countries that Russia would turn into an exporter competing with the rest of Europe, and that jobs would migrate eastwards.

Automakers widely expect sales of cars, vans and trucks in Russia to double to 4.1 million vehicles by 2020, from approximately 2 million today, making Russia the largest market in Europe, overtaking Germany.

GM, Fiat , Ford , Renault and Volkswagen plan to invest $5 billion in Russia to set up production, in exchange for duty breaks on imported components. They hope to benefit from low Russian labour costs and create export platforms for growing markets across Asia.

The EU said on Friday that a balance had been found between the different concerns of European car companies that had already invested in Russia, those that export to Russia, and Russia's desire to modernise its economy.

In particular, a compensation mechanism would come into effect if exports of EU car parts to Russia fell, minimising the impact on EU jobs.

Around 650 participants have gathered for the EU-Russia Innovation Forum, held in Lappeenranta on 25-26 May 2011. This, the second annual high-level Innovation Forum, is being organised by the City of Lappeenranta in cooperation with the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT). The 2nd EU-Russia Innovation Forum focuses on promoting tangible business partnerships between the participating companies while focusing primarily on Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Information & Communication Technologies and Health & Pharma. The event includes eight pre-conferences and the same number of seminars.

Pre-conferences and a large-scale two-day Business Matchmaking Event, jointly organised with the European Enterprise Network (EEN), kick-started the Forum with multiple simultaneous meetings of 125 companies from Austria, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Russia and the USA.

Pre-Conferences from IPR to Regional Cooperation

The pre-conferences also provided companies with practical advice on cooperation. One of the eight pre-conferences focused on companies’ intellectual property rights (IPR). For internationalising companies, protecting their patents, trademarks and other rights is vital. Business abroad is safer if your own know-how is properly protected. Protection is crucial not only for Finnish businesses entering the Russian market, but also for Russian entrepreneurs starting up EU-wide business operations. The number of international patent applications is expected to increase further. Other pre-conferences provided a practical view of the ICT sector’s standardisation, the environmental sector’s business opportunities in the Murmansk region, energy efficiency, Finnish-Russian Innovation University, cleantech start-ups and modernisation and innovations in Northwest Russia.

The goal of the EU-Russia Regional Cooperation Northwest Russia Programme PreConference was to demonstrate the ways in which international economic interregional collaboration assists modernization and the innovation cooperation process. The basic tool for collaboration in the EU-Russia border regions is the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), which is strongly supported by the EU and Russia.

“The European Union and Russia need more open discussion. The EU should not try master or moralise Russia, and common solutions should be found through cooperation,” emphasises Ville Itälä, Member of the European Parliament. Itälä calls for the barriers of trade between the EU and Russia to be lowered and encourages both the EU and Russia to co-operate more closely especially in the fields of science and research.

Lappeenranta takes its place

Veli-Pekka Saarnivaara, Director General, Tekes – Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, said in the Innovativeness in Management session how the level of cooperation between Finnish and Russian businesses is moving ahead as concrete projects though a recently signed contract between TEKES and FASIE (Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises). TEKES and FASIE have already received 22 Finnish-Russian proposals to be turned into development projects. Saarnivaara sees the EU-Russia Innovation Forum as a useful event that gathers together the right kind of people. “Lappeenranta has taken its place in cooperation with Russia. Russia wants to move from an industrial economy into an innovation economy and Finland has a role in this change,” he says.

20.05.2011 - Russia GDP grew rapidly in the first quarter

Russia GDP grew rapidly in the first quarter

GDP grew rapidly in the first quarter. Preliminary Rosstat figures show GDP grew 4.1 % y-o-y. The econ-omy ministry’s earlier-released preliminary figures indi-cated 4.5 % growth. Seasonally adjusted GDP climbed at a good pace in the first quarter, up 1.3 % q-o-q. GDP was only a couple percentages below its 2Q08 peak.The rate of first-quarter GDP growth was dragged down by a sharp drop in capital investment and the on-going boom in import growth. Growth was fuelled by brisk consumption growth, and according to preliminary figures rapid growth in the volume of exports.

17.04.2011 - Microsoft gives details on next Windows Phone OS

Microsoft gives details on next Windows Phone OSby Jay Greene

LAS VEGAS--Microsoft offered today its most detailed look yet into the next version of Windows Phone, code-named Mango, at the company's annual show for Web and phone developers.Microsoft said the popular game Angry Birds will be available on the phone May 25.

At the Mix developer event here, Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Windows Phone program management, discussed tools that will let developers create applications that can run in the background while users move onto other programs. And he demonstrated an upcoming release from the digital music service Spotify (which isn't yet available in the United States), playing music from the app while he moved onto other programs on the phone. The Spotify app will let users quickly pause music and adjust volume without having to close and move away from another application.

In another demonstration, Belfiore showed how Qantas has created a traveler app that uses data from local maps and calendars. He pinned specific flight data from Qantas on the home screen of his phone. That tile offered details about the flight as the departure time approached, such as the ability to check in online and get gate information. As the departure time gets close, the app triggers an alarm that notifies travelers that they ought to get to the airport. They can also open a map, which gives the quickest route to the airport. And the app even offers the option to change to a later flight.

Belfiore said Mango will build on Microsoft's efforts to provide "glance and go" information. "It's a lot quicker and easier [for people] to find the things they are looking for," Belfiore said.

He also took a few minutes at the beginning of his talk to address Windows Phone's rocky few months since its launch last year. A February update rendered some Samsung phones running the software temporarily unusable. Microsoft stopped the update to fix the bugs. But even the follow-up update caused some glitches. Now Microsoft is slowly rolling out the so-called NoDo update, but its pace has angered some users.

Belfiore was skewered by users for saying a few weeks ago that the latest update had made it to all Windows Phone devices, when it hadn't. "It was out of a lack of preparation," Belfiore said.

The company has learned the hard way that phone makers add software to their phones, which triggered some of the problems. One version of the update caused one phone to switch into its factory diagnostic mode.

That's why Microsoft has been cautiously rolling out the latest update. "We felt it would be better to be a little bit prudent," Belfiore said.

And he's optimistic that the problems are behind the company. "We expect that we're going to get these problems licked and get good at this," Belfiore said.

The features Belfiore highlighted are enabled by behind-the-scenes technology built into Mango that allows application multitasking. That technology gives developers the ability to better use the tiles that display their application on the phone. Mango will also offer access to the Windows Phone camera and motion sensor library, giving developers the ability to create programs that incorporate the phone hardware.

Belfiore also said that a version of Internet Explorer 9, the new, zippier browser that Microsoft launched for PCs a month ago, will come to Windows Phone this fall. To demonstrate that speed, Belfiore ran a test, comparing a phone running Mango with current versions of Google's Nexus S, running Google's Android operating system, and Apple's iPhone 4, running iOS.

"I'm going to give the iPhone a head start because I only have two fingers," Belfiore jibed, as he began the demo. Not surprisingly, given that it's a Microsoft demonstration, the Mango phone retrieved information more quickly than its rivals.

Belfiore also showed a few other Mango features, such as customizable ringtones and a new bar code scanning application from Amazon that takes users right to its store if it has the product. And he was joined briefly onstage by Marco Argenti, Nokia's head of developer experiences, who highlighted the companies' new partnership but offered no new timeline for phones that the partnership will generate.

After Belfiore finished, Microsoft shifted gears to developer tools, announcing the immediate availability of its Silverlight 5 technology, which gives developers tools to create advanced graphics in their applications. The company showed off the new software with a preview of a Web site for the Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration squad. The site runs high-definition video from inside the cockpit as well as animated graphics that let Web surfers inspect its fleet of jets.

And finally, Microsoft offered details of the upcoming software development kit for Kinect for Windows that will arrive later this spring. Kinect is the hot-selling motion-sensing controller for Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console. The company wants to unleash its vast developer network on Kinect, which is already a favorite among hackers.

To demonstrate, Microsoft had a bit of fun, showing off a "Kinect drivable lounge chair." The chair wheeled around the stage, with the "driver" using hand gestures to move it about. The company said it will release the source code, as well as details for obtaining all the parts, after the software development kit is released. It also demonstrated using hand gestures to navigate through the universe using the Worldwide Telescope, a Microsoft Research project, giving users the ability to zoom in to the moons of Saturn by spreading their hands apart

25.03.2011 - We want to invite You to visit the town of Vyborg

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We want to invite You to visit the town of Vyborg on the 1st -3rd of July 2011 as a guests of Marine festival “The Sails of Vyborg -2011”. Being interested in developing of water tourism and international neighborhood’s cooperation the administration of Vyborg is ready to provide support for the guests of Festival arrived on the private boats or yachts.You will be offered free berth place on the pier N1 of Vyborg’s port were boarder and customs control takes place.On the festival days You will have the possibilities not only to go sightseeing and shopping but also to participate several interesting actions. During the festival days the following actions will take place:

26.01.2011 - Number of Internet users worldwide reaches 2 bln: UN

GENEVA (AFP) – The number of Internet users worldwide has mushroomed to reach the two billion mark, the head of the UN's telecommunications agency, Hamadoun Toure, said on Wednesday.

The number of mobile phone subscriptions also reached the symbolic threshold of five billion, the secretary general of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) told journalists.

"At the beginning of the year 2000 there were only 500 million mobile subscriptions globally and 250 million Internet users," he said.

"By the beginning of this year 2011 those numbers have mushroomed to over five billion mobile users and two billion subscribers to the Internet," Toure added.

An ITU statistician told AFP that the figure for mobile telephones related to subscriptions.

Fresh data posted online by the agency showed that the estimated number of Internet users had reached 2.08 billion by the end of 2010, compared to 1.86 billion a year earlier.

The estimated number of cellphone subscriptions worldwide reached 5.28 billion at the end of the last year, compared to 4.66 billion at the end of 2009.

"The very high growth in mobile (phones) is slowing and we're reaching the end of double digit growth in mobile," Susan Teltscher, ITU head of market information and statistics, told AFP.

With the world's population exceeding 6.8 billion, nearly one person in three surfs online.

Fifty-seven percent of the users are in developing countries, three years after the ITU reported that Internet use there overtook developed nations.

The number of fixed broadband internet subscriptions in the world passed the half a billion mark for the first time in 2010, reaching 555 million, while the number of mobile broadband subscriptions surged to 940 million.

Meanwhile, fixed telephone landlines declined for the fourth year in a row, dropping just below 1.2 billion.

Asia and the Pacific spearheaded the shift into cyberspace, adding more than 100 million internet users to the global tally to bring the number of Internet users in the region to 857 million -- largely due to China, Teltscher noted.

But the highest density of online surfers in the population is found in Europe, followed by the Americas, former Soviet states and Arab nations, according to the ITU data.

The most rapid online growth in recent years has occurred in the latter two regions.

In Arab states, the estimated number of Internet users has reached 88 million, doubling in the space of about five years.

Growth in Commonwealth of Independent States was even faster: 127 million people used the Internet there last year, compared to 51 million in 2007 according to the ITU estimates.

"They have been catching up because they had lower penetration rates before," Teltscher explained.

20.10.2010 - Internet users to exceed 2 billion this year

Internet users to exceed 2 billion this year

Credit: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker

GENEVA | Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:21am EDT

GENEVA (Reuters) - The number of Internet users will surpass two billion this year, approaching a third of the world population, but developing countries need to step up access to the vital tool for economic growth, a United Nations agency said on Tuesday.

Users have doubled in the past five years, and compare with an estimated global population of 6.9 billion, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said.

Of 226 million new Internet users this year, 162 million will be from developing countries where growth rates are now higher, the ITU said in a report.

However, by the end of 2010, 71 percent of the population in developed countries will be online compared with 21 percent of people in developing countries.

The ITU said it was particularly important for developing countries to build up high-speed connections.

"Broadband is the next tipping point, the next truly transformational technology," said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure, of Mali. "It can generate jobs, drive growth and productivity and underpin long-term economic competitiveness."

Access varies widely by region, with 65 percent of people online in Europe, ahead of 55 percent in the Americas, compared with only 9.6 percent of the population in Africa and 21.9 percent in Asia/Pacific, the ITU said.

Access to the Internet in schools, at work and in public places is critical for developing countries, where only 13.5 percent of people have the Internet at home, against 65 percent in developed countries, it said.

A study last week by another U.N. agency showed that mobile phones were a far more important communications technology for people in the poorest developing countries than the Internet.

(Reporting by Jonathan Lynn; Editing by Stephanie Nebehay/ David Stamp)

06.10.2010 - On the 30th of September Oy Prima Partner Russia Ltd visited III Innovation Forum St. Petersburg and inauguration of an industrial park “Technopolis Pulkovo”

On the 30th of September there will be an inauguration of an industrial park “Technopolis Pulkovo”.

On the 30th of September there will be an inauguration of an industrial park “Technopolis Pulkovo” – the first Russian project of Finnish company “Technopolis”, European leader among the operators of industrial parks. “Technopolis” operates more than 500 000 m2 of area in Northern Europe. Overall size of the first stage of building “Technopolis Pulkovo” is 23 000 m2 .

The inauguration of the industrial park is timed to the III St. Petersburg International Innovation Forum. On the inauguration there will be St. Petersburg top-ranking officials. Greeting words will be said by the vice governor of St. Petersburg – M. Oseevskiy, chairman of the committee of economic development, industrial policy and trade – E.Elin, president and CEO of “Technopolis” Keith Silverang and director of Technopolis St. Petersburg – Peter Coachman.

24.09.2010 - Facebook's Rise: What Does it Mean for Google?

Published: Friday, 10 Sep 2010 | 2:17 PM ET

CNBC.com

Facebook has edged out Google [as the web’s top hangout according to the latest Comscore data, with Facebook capturing 9.9 percent of users’ time – that’s more than Google’s ever gotten.

Take a look at the numbers – Facebook has been on a tear over the past three years, growing from less than 2% of the web’s audience to 10% today.

Over the same period, Google has grown more slowly, more than doubling its share from 3.9% to 9.6%.

So. Question is, what does it mean for Google?

Let’s start with what it doesn’t mean. This doesn’t mean Facebook is eating Google’s lunch in the short term, because they’ve got two different core businesses. Facebook is the biggest display advertising player on the web – that’s basically brand advertising – and that’s stuff that you want people to spend a lot of time looking at.

Google, on the other hand, makes most of its money on search. Google wants people to find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible, click the best ads, and go. (We saw this fact illustrated in Google’s announcement this week of Google Instant, a feature that speeds up the search process.) If Google can get people to spend time on its sites that’s good, but efficient use of time is more important to Google than time itself. In the short term, Facebook’s win isn’t necessarily Google’s loss.

But here’s the challenge for Google: it needs to develop big new businesses beyond PC search, and so far it hasn’t figured that out – as you can see from the stock. Google execs are hoping mobile, music, video and even enterprise software might develop into real winners over time, and they’re investing Google’s search profits to try to turn those businesses into winners.

In the meantime, though, more of the world seems to be hanging out on Facebook. Eventually Google’s going to have to figure out how to either crash Facebook’s party, or start a cooler one.

18.06.2010 - Center of the "Hermitage-Vyborg" takes its first guests.

Center of the "Hermitage-Vyborg" takes its first guests.

Wednesday, 16 June 2010 06:25

The center "Hermitage-Vyborg" takes its first guests. It is located in a unique building of architect Uno Ullberg, where in the Finnish time was the school of art and museum. The first exhibition devoted to the Catherine the Great - who was the initiator and the founder of the St. Petersburg Hermitage. Today guests can visit the exhibition of famous State Museum in Vyborg. Working hours from 11.00 to 19.00 (Monday closed). Museum works on a prior request. Cost of the tickets - 250 rubles. Telephone: + 7 (905) 210-5555 or +7 (81378) 3-44-30.

27.05.2010 - The 1st EU–Russia Innovation Forum

The 1st EU–Russia Innovation Forum will be held on the 25 – 27th of May, 2010 in the City of Lappeenranta. The events will take place at the Lappeenranta City Hall and at the Lappeenranta University of Technology. With the strong support of the Prime Minister of Finland and key innovation policy makers and stakeholders, the Forum will be the first high level innovation event between the EU and Russia.

The EU–Russia Innovation Forum will gather European and Russian policy makers, business leaders, innovation experts and researchers, providing an outstanding opportunity to help build the future of EU–Russia cooperation in the field of innovation.

The Forum is organized by the City of Lappeenranta, Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) and the European–Russian InnoPartnership.

The Forum will focus on four specific themes:Modernizing our Industries

A strengthened partnership in industrial modernization will also be a strong driver for new innovation collaboration. The Forum will present an unprecedented opportunity for developing actions in all areas relevant to the modernization process.Commercializing Russian Innovations

There are plenty of untapped opportunities! The Forum will launch a new era ofEU–Russia innovation collaboration in order to maximize the potential of Russian innovations.Promoting Energy Efficiency

Cooperation in energy production is not sufficient! Energy efficiency is the key to renewing the competitiveness of the European–Russian economic area. We jointly need to find new innovative solutions on energy efficiency, and the Lappeenranta University of Technology is strongly creating the future in this area.EU–Russia Innovation Collaboration Roadmaps 2010–2013

* Innovation Policy Dialogue * Research and University Cooperation * Business Cooperation * Innovation & Business Support Cooperation